Bittersweet Revdi politics: States find it difficult to pay for their pledges of freebies

Delhi, New Delhi: Aditi Tatkare, the state minister of women, child development, and welfare, announced less than a month after the new Maharashtra government was sworn in that women listed under the Namo Shetkari and direct benefits schemes would not be eligible for the Ladki Bahin Yojana, which helped the Mahayuti alliance regain power by promising ₹2,100 in pensions to all women over the age of 18. According to preliminary projections, this will assist the Maharashtra government in reducing the 2.63-crore beneficiary list.

Sukhvinder Sukhu, the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, voluntarily gave up the 125 units of free power subsidy that had been granted to him on January 1 and encouraged all independent people to do the same. The state power board stands to gain ₹200 crore as a result of the appeal. Since taking office in December 2022, the Congress administration has been struggling to fulfill its election-related commitments and has been experiencing a serious financial crisis. In the process, it has begun to modify the freebies offered by the. and trim the beneficiary list.Andhra chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said in an exclusive interview with ET in October that he was having trouble carrying out the six major promises he had made in the lead-up to the assembly elections due to financial limitations.